Steelers-Falcons Preseason Gameday: TV Info, Lines, Injuries, More

The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to finish their preseason flawlessly for the second straight season when they wrap up the preliminary portion of their 2023 schedule with a visit to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.

STEELERS GAMEDAY INFO

Preseason Week 3, Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) at Atlanta Falcons (1-0-1)
Thursday, Aug. 23, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia (71,400, FieldTurf)

Broadcast
TV: KDKA-TV (Bob Pompeani, Charlie Batch, Missi Matthews), NFL Network (Justin Kutcher, Coy Wire, D.J. Shockley, Jen Hale)

Radio: Steelers Radio Network, 102.5 WDVE-FM (Bill Hillgrove, Craig Wolfley, Max Starks)

SN Coverage: Alan Saunders
Roof open/closed: TBD Forecast: 86 degrees, party cloudy
Lines: Steelers -4.5, Steelers -205, over/under 38.5 FanDuel Sportsbook Promo — $1,000 No Sweat First Bet

AT STAKE

It’s still the preseason. The biggest thing at stake is always to emerge healthy. The Steelers will attempt to do that while also giving their starters their greatest workload of the preseason. If head coach Mike Tomlin is true to form, that will mean that most of the team’s starters will play about a half.

Some will not, like Najee Harris, who the team seems to have a specific workload plan in place for, and veterans like Cam Heyward, Patrick Peterson and T.J.Watt.

Tomlin didn’t commit to a length of time for his first-teamers to play, just saying that there are things he wants to see both collectively and individually before he’s willing to call it a wrap on each player’s preseason. Neither first-team unit has gone through a two-minute drill, so that could be on the agenda.

INJURY REPORT

The Steelers are hoping to get a number of players back to health, as it looks like NT Keeanu Benton, ILB Nick Kwiatkoski and FS Tre Norwood will play, and C/G Nate Herbig and DT Larry Ogunjboi both said they want to. All five missed the team’s Week 2 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

The only player that is definitely not expected to play is guard Kevin Dotson, who missed practice on Tuesday with a shoulder injury and said he will sit this game out to be ready for the start of the regular seasons.

FROM THE OTHER SIDE

There’s been no word on what Arthur Smith has planned for his Atlanta Falcons in this game in terms of personnel. But you can expect them to run the ball, whether that’s Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier or Cordarrelle Patterson toting the rock. The Falcons don’t throw much, and probably won’t even if starting quarterback Desmond Ridder gets the call.

THE LAST TIME

The Steelers just did this trip not that long ago, having defeated the Falcons 19-16 last Dec. 4. Connor Heyward scored late in the second quarter, backup kicker Matthew Wright made four field goals and Minkah Fitzpatrick sealed the game with a late interception to keep the Steelers rolling on their late-2022 surge.

Marcus Mariota made the start in that game for Atlanta, his final one before yielding to Ridder, who was taken behind Pickett as the second quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft.

SERIES

The Steelers and Falcons have played eight preseason games in the teams’ history, with the Steelers a perfect 8-o. The last meeting was a 17-3 Pittsburgh win at Heinz Field in 2017. They also played at Heinz Field in 2011. The last preseason game in Atlanta was at the Georgia Dome in 2001 and was a 17-16 Steelers victory. The teams played a 1998 preseason game in Morgantown, West Virginia, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1980 and 1972, and at Three Rivers Stadium in 1978 and 1973.

The Steelers played two preseason games in Atlanta in 1965, before the Falcons joined the league the following season. They lost to the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Colts in those two games.